A N ELECTRONIC N 0 V E L™

BY Rod Smith Joe Vierra William Mataga Author Programmer Programmer

PRINTED MATERIAL BY

Rod Smith

~ BrrJderbund® Copyright «:> 1986 by Br¢derbund Software, Inc. This product, both printed material and software, is copyrighted by Br¢derbund Software, Inc. All rights of duplication, distribution, and sale are reserved. Cover photograph by Thomas Helnser. Back cover photograph by Tom Landecker. Illustrations by Frank Cirocco. TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS BOOK 5

THE BEGINNINGS OF BREAKERS 7

PART/ The Borgian Rifts 9

PART/I Happy Hour 15

PART Ill Counting Stars 21

PART JV Be Here Now 29

PARTV All About Borg 37

PART VJ The Fugitive 45

ADVENTURER'S DIARY 49

HOW TO TALK TO BREAKERS 61

ABOUT THE AUTHORS 71

WARRANTY INFORMATION 83

ABOUT THIS BOOK

The book you're holding is not a computer manual. You don't have to read every word before you boot the disk. In fact, you may want to play for a while then browse these pages. Use the Reference Card packaged with your disk if you want to get going quickly. This book is really a tour guide and survival manual in one. The idea is to give you some handy background infor­ mation before you find yourself in the center of the action. The chapters in The Beginnings of BREAKERS set the scene and introduce the characters before you meet them on your computer screen. You'll find out how to move around through the terrain of the adventure, and you'll get some ideas for dialogue with characters in How to Talk to BREAKERS. Relax and have fun with the book, but as you read, be on the lookout. In BREAKERS, clues-like magazine pages behind a metaplastwall plate-can be anywhere.

THE BEGINNINGS OF p A R T 0 N E . . . ·.· . ' >o . .. . ·; . • •,• ·­ .. ··~ :.: ... :, , ' ~ >: : ·:. ... ·· .. ·· ,.,.· · ,.· ,.. ; ; . ~.~~. .<'\ ,,·;:.. .,;' .<·' ·.·.... ·' Starlight on naked rock: a phalanx of meteors charges through space-fan mail from some dead planet, hurtling across the universe like blazing pinballs to flame out, rock by rock; in gravitational fields along the way. After eons of tumbling through darkness, the last meteors veer toward two stars and the golden planet looping around them in an endless figure-eight. Borg turns regally in its atmospheric envelope. High off the surface the air thins out, refraction stops, the light fades into a dome ofever -deepening cobalt, streaked with sudden fire as stellar debris arcs through.

Turquoise leaves twitched a mile below the surface in a deep, mist-bound rift. Seven pairs of golden eyes checked a clearing for danger before one of the group stepped into the open. The creature was slight, unclothed, with a large hairless head, a small round mouth and wide eyes that gave it an expression of solemn astonishment. Its skin had the same luminous golden sheen as its eyes. It carried a document in one hand. After a moment the six others emerged from the jungle, and the seven golden beings stood looking straight up through a gap in the mist at the narrow band of dark Borgian sky.

THE BORGIAN RIFTS a One of them pointed. "The Creator!" The constellation they beheld was like a benign face, with one golden eye and one blue eye gazing down into the rift. Something like a drop of blood gleamed in its forehead- a red dwarf pulsing irregularly. "Something is wrong;' said one of the golden creatures. "A dark cloud hides the Creator's face-the evil mask of prophecy!" Indeed, the constellation seemed dim, and even the brightest stars were slightly obscured by the shadow, darker than space, creeping over them. "When the Creator shall be masked;' intoned one of the seven, and the others chanted, "then the world will die ... " "When the mask shall fall away;' chanted the first, and the others responded, "then the world will live again ... " The first one said, "The darkness quickens-it is the time ofrenewal. When the blood star vanishes, the dark storm will scour the planet clean. All our people must be returned to Borg. And then we must perform the ritual of the elements, to recreate the Creator so that the Lau may live:' Another murmured, "All our training has brought us to this day:' In reverence and awe, the seven gazed upward at the stricken constellation. Suddenly they heard rough voices drifting up the path, then creaking leather, rattling chains and thudding boots. "Breakers!" Terrified, the golden creatures fled into the jungle. Oaths broke out behind them, followed by blades flashing in the dim violet light At the edge of the jungle, one of the golden creatures fell - two bone-handled knives in its back-and lay twitching as the Breakers, cursing and joking, surrounded it. Their leader had a face like a peeled carrot, scarred down one side. With a raspy chuckle, he yanked his knives out of the corpse and growled, "Like Mulcahy says-

II BREAKERS: AN ELECTRONIC NOVEL they're no good dead, but it's better than letting 'em get away!" He wiped the blades on his filthy leather pants amid guttural laughter. Nobody saw the luminous golden mantle that rose from the turquoise jungle and wafted up out of the rift, billowing into the sky until the bright spots in its midst, like pale eyes, winked out one by one.

THE BORGIAN RIFTS II p A R T T w 0

Far above the planet, a shiny fleck hangs in the blue-black band ofshallow space. It flickers intermittently in fixed geo­ graphical orbit over scars on the surface left. by a large ore­ mining operation. The industrial space colony's age is revealed by the obsolete spherical design, with antiquated solar power panels, reflectors and shields spread over its translucent dome: picture a round blown-glass sculpture hanging in a dark void-a dirty yellow glow inside- its outer surfaces, points and spires dusted with fairy light from distant fireballs. A vagrant meteor smashes through one ofthe solar panels, blows a dish antenna to junk and bounces off the colony's hull. Then it wobbles on into eternity, leaving the hull plates ruptured and gaping behind. The luminous golden mantle roltS up from the planet and drift.s toward the colony, surrounding it and seeming to stare in through the dome with shining eyes as the colony shud­ ders in the meteor's wake. The lights inside dim and flicker for several moments. Hovering outside the dome, the vapor­ ous eyes peer into the colony's heart. A universal intelli­ gence feels along the maze of corridors, through the residence modules, the shops and bays, across the rotting hydroponic vegetable beds and rusting transport pods to the administration module, and out again, sensing every­ thing. Except for a skeleton mining crew, a handful of drift­ ers and a large force ofsecurity mutants, the colony seems abandoned.

HAPPY HOUR II The mind feels its way to a barroom on one of the utility levels. Under garish colored lights, entities ofevery descrip­ tion are killing time, drinking, fighting, planning trouble. Ouch! The sordid violence in these entities' brainwaves is painful to the probing awareness. It recoils, and the dusty glow outside the colony hull seems to intensify briefly. Then, tentatively, the intelligence touches some ofthe more acces­ sible minds in the barroom ...

"Haw haw! The look on that thing's face when eight thou­ sand volts whipped into its face! Haw!" The Cirdonian smacked the bartop, spilling drinks and shaking the floor. Since he was a Cirdonian, nobody complained. Buying a new drink was easier than buying a new head. "Sounds pretty funny;' said a huge boxlike entity next to the Cirdonian. He sounded dubious, or maybe just depressed. "Haw haw! Face turned to jelly, lookin' surprised as livin' Karg-haw haw haw!" The Cirdonian, gasping with mirth, clacked his beak and glared up and down the bar. Everyone laughed along obediently. Panface nodded to Betty the Bartender and gave up his place to another Breaker. Even the Cirdonian pulled back slightly as he left. Panface was known for his sweet, melan­ choly disposition, but he had also been known to drink too much of Betty's lava and convulsively tear three-inch meta­ plast plates into confetti while in the throes of some unknown grief. The big solemn guy rolled across the clamorous room, tilting his occipital bulge this way and that while his dark, sad eyes searched for a familiar face among the walking flotsam of a galaxy. A diabolically lousy musician began belaboring an electric lute. Somebody threw a cup of lava toward the stage, and it splattered all over the wall .

• BREAKERS: AN ELECTRONIC NOVEL '.y "Panface!" The massive frame trundled around, and some­ J- thing like a smile lit his aptly-named visage.

~. "Bobo;' he grunted, extending a cloven ham.·A tall blond Terran woman shook it heartily and slapped Panface on his y shoulder. She glanced around furtively and, looking like a 1, - Chan-Lockheed MX99C hauling the oldest subzone barge in )- the system to a scrap orbit, tugged him into a corner. She brushed a mess of hair out of her eyes, but it fell back immediately. "I found something outjust now;' she intimated out of the side of her mouth. " See that geek about to fall on ·his face ·- over by the supply locker hatch? Been pourin' Betty's lava 1 down his pipe to loosen him up. Know what he said?" Panface shook his head, intent on her long face, watching J the expressions flit across like starlight on a moonscape. "He said -get this, he said-" holding the hair out of her face so as to pin him with both ice-blue eyes, "and this is no goof, he looked me right in the face and said real clear, but don't wony, nobody else was listening, he-" "What did he say?" rumbled Panface. Bobo whispered, "Casey Jones:' "What about Jones?" " He's here!'' Panface looked quickly around the bar, scrutinizing the motley crowd of losers and thieves from every dim hole in the Slug Nebula. "Where?" "Not in the bar;' hissed Bobo. " But here on Nimbus Colony. He's working out of the shuttle bay, dealing with Mulcahy and his Breakers on Borg. Mulcahy sells him slaves and hijacked goods, and Jones runs 'em out from here. He's even using UMC shuttles. The geek heard it from a buddy on the Essex when it stopped here, and it goes along with what that guy Delbert Riggs said:' " Hmm:' Her immense companion thought it over. "I'd like

HAPPY HOUR II to meet Jones, just to see what kind of a guy could do the things they say he's done:' "Meet him? You want to do more than that Pan face, listen - Jones is our ticket. He can get us to Borg! Then we can find the subterranean violet sea with all the jewels-we can buy our own planet and retire!" She watched the broad face, saw something like a supernova behind the occipital bulge. The small eyes blazed for a moment. "I get it' he said slowly. "All we have to do is get to the shuttle bay and pass a little gold to Casey Jones. Only one problem, Bobo-we're broke:' "Not for long:' Bobo slid an object to Panface. "Hide this. It's an extra VBX I got off that drunk ensign from the Essex. All we have to do is sell it off, then we can go to Borg:' " But who can we sell it to? All these derelicts in here are broke:' "Don't worry;' laughed the blond adventurer. "Some sucker will come our way with a few coins. But we have to work fast­ word is out that Mulcahy and Jones are trying to knock each other off for control of Borg and the booty:' Panface nodded dubiously and the two adventurers, scheming over their future, drank lava and watched the mystic sage named Beekanavskemich do tricks with green rubber balls.

m BREAKERS : AN ELECTRONIC NOVEL :he

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The great eyes blink outside the hull. The intelligence probes back into the corridors. Sudden viciousness makes it recoil briefly. Whats this? A gang of uniformed mutants, hanging around their armored mobile in a utility corridor station. Apparently the Breakers are being strictly controlled. Other Oaks are patrolling the corridors, looking for trouble. The curious mind slides along corridors, around corners, through hatches, into dark places. The colony, an industrial support operation for mines down on the golden planet, seems nearly deserted. A few hundred workers are perform­ ing maintenance tasks, but the colony appears to be disintegrating. Probing the administration module, the intelligence watches a tall young Terran stroll along a corridor, read a doorplate and jauntily enter an office. A far-world reception­ ist ofindeterminate gender interrupts filing its nasal flanges to buzz another office, then directs the young Terran through a door. An older, slightly-built Terran with shifty eyes stands to greet the youth with a nod and the ritual handclasp. Then the two sit down on opposite sides ofa desk and begin talking. The glowing spots outside the hull seem to blink; the intel­ ligence focuses on the office. Ubiquitous Terrans, infesting the galaxy! Such messy little minds on the surface, but capa­ ble of such devious complexity. Reading one from the out­ side is like crossing a room full of Breakers in the dark, but the intelligence grimly reaches out, touches one ofthe minds and then the other . ..

COUNTING STARS II Nate Grey had a funny feeling the moment he saw the guy. "Welcome to Nimbus Colony;' he said cordially. "Thank you;' said the guy. He didn't seem like a bad guy, really. Nate Grey could have liked him in another situation, on a free planet maybe, or a mission to the swamps of some nacreous moon where they'd be on the same team perhaps, a colonization or something. Grey tensed his eyes. "Don't mention it:' What was the guy's game? What was he after? Look at those duds-gold fake noogahide, thumbs hooked in his asteroid belt, smiling. What's he up to? "Nice office:' They both looked around the office. It was a lousy office, the kind they give you when they don't care whether you quit or not. But not as bad as the kind they give you when they want you to quit The UMC logo was everywhere. Except for that, Grey didn't mind it. "Thanks;' he said. "Miss yours?" "Oh, I don't have an office;' said the guy, flexing his aster­ oid belt Tm a little too mobile for that:' "Out there counting stars;' nodded Grey. Counting stars. That's what they called it when you were young and on the move, out there in deep space, arcing through atmospheres too strange to breathe, maybe landing on some paradise where everything was perfect for life but no life existed, or landing in parasitic slop and barely escaping, rousting from colony to colony, adventure to adventure. And during the . voyages you'd sit in the observation bay for years, counting stars. Grey used to do it himself, back in his salad days. "You got it, Grey;' the guy answered. "Out there counting stars:' "See any new ones you could name after yourself?" The guy smiled, an honest smile. "Riggs? What kind of name is that for a star?"

Ill BREAKERS: AN ELECTRONIC NOVEL uy. "Heard worse:' What was he up to? A muckraking colum­ nist from a publication like Spiral Arm Today doesn't just uy, show up on a wreck like the Nimbus Colony for fun. He had to >n, be after a story. ne Riggs tingled with a newsman's hunch. He knew he was >S, onto something. Nimbus was an absolute disaster-para­ lyzed, almost. There were more security mutants on board (s than miners. The ore had stopped coming up from the planet ~e quite a while ago, but the United Mining Corporation was still g. reporting major yields. He knew that from the SpaceWave intercepts that Druella scanned for him. Grey had to be lying a to everybody, including the press. re The mines would be close to shut down, Riggs calculated. re All that expensive machinerywould bejustsittingdown there e. on the golden sand, rusting, slowly turning turquoise in the thick Borgian atmosphere. Soon the scavengers would be orbiting like sharks: vast junker ships with green three­ r- armed giants at the controls- Kargons, junkers to the galaxy. The salvage yards of Karg were famous throughout 5. the Slug Nebula. There was hardly a working ship that didn't e have at least one part obtained from the Kargons. They had s every kind of ship ever built anywhere, piles of them, a parts e farm. Riggs had been there, but not just to see that. Karg r was also the site of the Oak Academy. Riggs shifted uncom­ 1 fortably in his seat. "I guess Riggs is as good a name for a star as Kangor:' Kangor was Karg's main star. "By the way, who did that painting?" Grey glanced at the painting. It was a lousy painting. Osten­ sibly a landscape of Borg-but the artist had obviously never seen Borg, only read about it. f The planet in this painting was covered with silica, decom­ posed from sandstone. The actual Borgian surface was pyrite and mica, flecks of the stuff in a layer several miles deep.

COUNTING STARS II Miners had to put metaplast tubes through itjust to reach the ore-bearing strata, which accounted for most of the expense of UMCs Borgian operation. Walking on that sur­ face was like walking through dry soup, Grey remembered. The artist depicted deep, rocky canyons, barren except for a few thick vines. In fact, the canyons were volcanic rifts, miles deep, choked with jungle and debris. The debris showed dis­ tinct strata, indicating sudden die-backs approximatel:y 3,000 years apart. All the strata that had been studied, Grey knew, showed a marked decrease in higher plant forms after each die-back. Spectrochromatographic test results hinted at periodic cataclysms of unknown origin. The artist must have read about the. carnivorous vines. Sure, there were still vines in places, and Grey had scars to prove it. But they were dying out. Unfortunately for them, they tended to grow down cliffs and ravines, dangling in places where carnous life was scarce. Sometimes a poor Lau would wander by; then there would be flowers in that spot and the other Lau would avoid it. Those were the flowers, reflected Grey, that they used to manufacture their sacred narcotic. They called it Magic. Grey had experienced it, once ...

The intelligence cringes; its luminosity writhes away from the colony hull. The elder Terran is thinking thoughts he has no right to think, recalling memories that are forbidden all but the Lau. But in the wide universe, indignation and anger are inconsequential. The great eyes widen. The mind again peers into the small office.

"I think a machine did that painting, to tell the truth;' said Nathan Grey.

II BREAKERS: AN ELECTRONIC NOVEL ach The other guy ·laughed, rubbing a ring on his left hand. the Grey noticed the inlaid insignia, which could have held a mr­ printed circuit, or maybe a chip. Whatdevice did it operate? :d. Abruptly, he asked, 'When are you leaving us?" for The guy stopped laughing and shrugged. " I haven't made les any plans;' he said, meeting Grey's eyes. "I take it you've been 1is- reading my columns?" 100 "No, I .haven't had time;' said Grey blandly. " Have you writ­ ew, ten about Nimbus Colony already? I thought you roving cor­ 1ch respondents filed on SpaceWave twice a day. I.haven't noticed at any transmissions to Spiral Arm Today on our log:' ''I've been slipping them in;' said the guya bit too quickly. :::s. "Those little columns only take a half-second burst:' to ·But Grey was suspicious now. He glanced at the ring. A ey shielded transmitter? es "Anyway;' the guy continued, "Mr. Gibbons wants me to stay, Id see what UMC might be up to out here. As a matter of fact, I ie might want to get down to Borg. Would you mind arranging ~d that?" ic. Grey almost snorted. "Impossible, of course. As you are aware, Borg is a Class IV planet:' "Why?" "I'd have to be a Federation agent to know that' said Grey with a soft laugh that sounded like loose rock sliding n downhill. "Or a smuggler;' said the guy, and Grey's mind registered a n thought that sent the eavesdropping entity reeling ... d d

The gaseous· eyes drift outside the hull. The intelligence watches the young Terran stroll jauntily out of the office, but doesn't follow. The Nate Orey Terran interests it more. The cloud hovers outside the colony dome as the aware­ ness watches Orey punch a button on his desk.

COUNTING STARS p A R T F 0 u R -. - "Grgla! Hey-stop filing your face and get in here!" Nate Grey had to avoid looking at his receptionist when it appeared in the doorway. Why couldn't he have had a Terran female for a secretary? Unfortunately, the UMC was an Equal Entity Employer ... "Have you been saving those SpaceWave tabloids? I want to see current issues of Spiral Arm Today." "Certainly, Mr. Grey;' honked Grgla, flouncing out The floor shook. In a few moments Grey had a stack of the cheesy publications on his desk. He flipped through the top one, started reading and groaned. The latest edition of the beam­ published newspaper carried stories in many languages. One of several in Terran was a popular column called Be Here Now, by award-winning reporter-at-large J. Delbert Riggs.

Lorem ips adipscin~ e.l tempor mc1 a\iquam er~ 'Be Here Now veniami qui~ suscipit la bo Modo con By J. Delbert Riggs dolor in re molestaie sc at nulla pai odio dig n delenit aig No Silver Lining on Nimbus sint. Occa (part one) tempor sui DATELINE: UMC NIMBUS COLONY, anim id e dereud fa< SLUG NEBULA . tempor cu ds a bizarre drama is maxim pl As you read thes.e w~~s forsaken corner of hPim! olayed out m t -SSiifcsu'Ss-'-"

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few hours nere. m ? benevolent s and dangerous bunch. But I can assure you that quiet. Endiu the Breakers are far better company than their sit caus peco adversaries, the Gaks. Quod ma: At last, I can appreciate the recent rash of "Gak voluptas ast jokes" (How many Gaks does it take to catch a Temporem < , red ball, etc.) —although I now know 1 wasn't turn rerum • missing much. They are stupid, sadistic scum- repudia nd bags, and I've said as much to their visors. You aque earuc &•£«£•*" • can't ever see their faces—which is probably just tus au aut p as well. (Tomorrow: Breakers—the Entities your Mother Warned You About)

ace

r(j)^ wiiiwhicmh ostensunrecovery ***>•>y o•n- um&- ase for minera_ recovy fly "Damn!" howled Hathan Grey. "That wulla-brain! Why now? eaderwillrecalUhatui g w Why him? Damn!" Angrily, he grabbed the next issue on the HSSsrfe pile and continued reading. SSsSSsas ws5Sss^ Lorom ipsu ingopebutno0 adipscing eh! tempor Incia' aliquam erat? veniami quis ICS^-'^'1'"" suscipitlabon iusSti^tedu b>,yj -now. Modo cons" does Nimbus Colony remain in fixed dolor in re f re to the point, why is the klink deserted • <--- "'AvVforce, an oversize molestaie son at nulla pan; odio dig ^ 1S "Oaks" and pace delenit aigw No Silver Lining on Nimbus sint. Occae (part two) tempor sunl anim id esl .tial module? DATELINE: UMC NIMBUS COLONY, dereud faci .indeed. in that very SLUG NEBULA tempor cun In the last column, 1 sketched the particulars maxim pV* of a bizarre drama now playing on the UMC colony, asu menda Nimbus. I'm here now. SsgS&KS*-. sws?riS.K-ss»5

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ImTtvoraV? un rich tor ^ lhat> ss^^to1^ ^SSasrs&^S "That dirty... Qi the office with th at it on his way 01 withaclientunti "Sure thing, si Tempuu u" Vpderation agent. aut turn rerum i jcies of spacefarer known as a er repudian. L i loose synonym for adventurer, consectetur ad eiusmod <»m™* ate, outlaw, loser and any other before let me d»wnaUaconCur that he or^ tve might care to avoid mention- ing with. Ve maim quis r reasons unknown, virtually all Colony even as i untheBreaK d suscipit labori- the SlugNebula are now on Borg. Modo consequal have been trapped on Nimbus in re pvehende air number seem to be making it son consequ a ilanet, where they join up with a pariatur. ;lers headquartered in Borg's deep M vevo eos (,ui blandit p ers on Borg are led by a former dolor et m < igent, professional ballet dancer PW »' cupultat non i murderer named Vulkos Mulcahy. ulpa ^ ^ wn about Mulcahy except that he's ' inlMUl>" labovum et 0 ind treacherous. His sidekick is a est ev expet k who currently goes by the name solvul ben vy's mistress is Minnie Makarova, the maxim pVae« ide of Sector X's Paris Colony and asu menda e lallet instructor until she fell under Temp°vel innie dropped out of sight after help- autum verv tort virtually every cent in the Paris ., A \ let's operating fund. (See my column, posim om ikarova, Bad Girl or Pawn? in SAT olor vepeU' B.savor) y trio, and a bunch of their closer aut tum •e now working out of the Borgian Rifts, er repu ortedly deal in some especially unsa- nd. \tatv .raband: slaves and narcotics, delectus ns that some of the Lau-a particularly vepeiVat. )lk said to possess unique telekinetic cuv ver -have been turning up in chains on other nost qv Pets of the rich? I'm told by my close ergat. 1 friend Druella Comstock, the glamor- potest ittle-set ingenue, that having your own tum V the height of current top-drawer chic, (Tomorrow""''":-'«'•''•"'. Co-sea " il? Certainly. Illegal? Of course. In fact, it legend) ., • -but that's the rich for you (close personal - ^ 5 excepted, Druella, and 1 mean that), cahy's contact on Nimbus Colony is a vet- •ootlegger whose name is known to school- n every system from here to Andromeda: sgendary, nearly mythical Casey Jones ilf, another former Federation agent turned ,gler, killer and thief. But before we start "That dirty.. .Qrgla!" The hideous receptionist slithered into iring into the basic nature of Federation the office with the flange-file in one limp claw. Grey shouted ts, let's get to the crux of the matter, at it on his way out "I'm away from my desk, in a meeting and mes and Mulcahy are duking it out. It seems with a client until further notice, got it?" the two master criminals—one controlling source of contraband, the other its distri- "Sure thing, sir," said Qrgla, already making plans. ion-are now going for each other's throats in all-out war over the proceeds of their arious trade. p A R T F v E

The vast intelligence probes the receptionists mind, but Orgla has a powerful mental scrambler in place. Turning into the maze of corridors and pod chutes to locate Nathan Orey, the intelligence comes across Riggs in his residential module. Riggs is talking with someone called Druella. The intelligence is mystified- it can't locate another function­ ing mind in the module. Nonetheless, it tunes in:

" Druella;' said Riggs, "I'd like to go over that material on Borg again:' "Okay, Delbert:' responded a perky voice. "Coming right up'.' There was a melodious beep. Touching the young Terran's mind, the intelligence read along with him in a book called All About Borg, by famed explorer Captain Brum us Dart, Ph.D. The table of contents listed the chapter headings typical of a scholarly work. Riggs turned to the one titled, Garbo: Alter-Orb or Legend? He began to read:

ALL ABOUT BORG heavenly bodies intersect. Although the resul is not physical in nature, due to the insubstant of the alter-orb, it nonetheless precipitates ut destroys all life on Borg, except for the Lau tl certain portions of their habitat deep in th« (see Chapter 4). Survival is not guaranteed, however. In or Acco live through the catastrophic energy storm, that certain preparations must be made v «M,**-» s,ed These involve assembling a number of sacr so-called dements—which are employed ii ation of the universe in its proper image. " to be performed in a sacred cavern deep ir I have never seen the cavern or its allege OL ->~ and \v»jiiv'— "Garbo" shamar, mythology.) ^.^ is have observed apparent transmogrificatio be a figment of the L ^ Ae ^^erto ^ on uals from corporeal form into water, fire Moreover, the ^ ^ the source ^ (Note-. A.S I was the sole non-Lau witness, tbe ^ellsprmg of Uu of balanced pol profound astonishment precluded a pr my observations, this may be taken as report of empirically observed pheno -^S^-^^b" th blue and the f ^areheldi^ Garbo alter-orb. f humbly assert, something more than me -S'th a.sbyenergy^^^stinct transformations were apparently made ing energy from certain stones. Could elements alluded to previously? At the time of my visit with the Lai « f*, the grand event, the collision of Bor Garbo, was imminent. As one of the n

GARBO

ALL ABOUT BO ELECTRONIC HOVEL R E A K t A N heavenly bodies intersect. Although the resulting collision is not physical in nature, due to the insubstantial properties of the alter-orb, it nonetheless precipitates utter chaos and destroys all life on Borg, except for the Lau themselves and certain portions of their habitat deep in the Borgian rifts rend? dief, Borg has a shadowy, insubstan- (see Chapter 4). Survival is not guaranteed, however. In order for them to m the same path (see Appendix Q: live through the catastrophic energy storm, the Lau believe and Garbo). Our instruments have not that certain preparations must be made well in advance. ich an entity, but the Lau believe in it These involve assembling a number of sacred objects — the his alter-orb Garbo, and have invested so-called elements—which are employed in a ritual recre- ch is manifested collectively by a body ation of the universe in its proper image. The ritual is said n. (Note: I was never able to meet a to be performed in a sacred cavern deep in the rifts. d wonder whether they, too, may not I have never seen the cavern or its alleged contents. But I ,au mythology.) have observed apparent transmogrifications of Lau individ- iclieve that the mysterious alter-orb is uals from corporeal form into water, fire and other states. au energy, and the source of all life on (Note: As I was the sole non-Lau witness, and given that my iat a kind of balanced polarity exists profound astonishment precluded a precise recording of ; forces emanated by each of Borg's two my observations, this may be taken as a subjective field d the gold. These forces are held in report of empirically observed phenomena, although, I energy from the Garbo alter-orb. (Note: humbly assert, something more than mere anecdote.) These elation of the various indistinct, incom- transformations were apparently made possible by draw- acomprehensible versions of the Garbo ing energy from certain stones. Could these have been the 3m individual Lau. It should be treated elements alluded to previously? At the time of my visit with the Lau, they believed that «t familiar facet of the Garbo myth is its the grand event, the collision of Borg and the alter-orb, asis. Like so many other deities, this Garbo Garbo, was imminent. As one of the more garrulous elders destruction. The Lau believe that once •usand years, the orbital paths of the two 49

GARBO

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NOVEL ALL ABOUT B

B R E hen the Federation mandate of 4999 forced me to leave wears a mask " when the cataclysm L the Lau were in a state of deep trepidation, almost s an habitual user of Magic, the •lock. lique to Borg (see Appendix B), tirely reliable in an objective sense. ask" apparently refers to the chief *ian firmament, called the Creator The image imposed on the stars of n ancient sage, his white hair and lar wind, with arms outstretched in d is a golden star, in his right a blue ; marked by a red dwarf, equidistant alses blood-red, especially in the low ation resides for most of the year. 5 the latter part of 4999, the Creator's iccluded by a sort of celestial shadow. ion looked rather dim to me, and the d to shine bloodier each morning, but .guish any kind of shadow. Of course, 1 se of Magic, either. :nd also informed me that his people ;e the various disruptions and pressures ;old rush had made it difficult for them over the elements. Some of them con- that the elements would not be assem- ert the end of the Lau race and of the

51 GARBO Riggs said, "Thank you, Druella:' Then the young Terran sat thoughtfully for a while listening to the broken hum of worn-out machinery in the colony's guts and pondering what he had read. Abruptly, he said, " Druella, would you open that panel for me?" " Certainly, Delbert' the perky voice replied. Then Riggs stood and put on a heavy plastacot shirt, slipped his pass­ card into the pocket, and left the little room in D Module.

II BREAKERS: AN ELECTRONIC NOVEL p A R T s x

Another meteor whacks the hull; a hollow boom shudders through the overgrown hydroponic beds, the domed administration module, the empty residential modules, and slowly fades. In its wake, structural stresses clang and groan in the pipes dripping rusted water and machine fluids. One maintenance bay attracts the roving intelligence with signs of activity. The mind peers in at a lone, greasy Terran in overalls, working on a broken-down pump. He looks miserable. One of his fingers is bleeding, and there's blood on the rungs leading up to the hydroponic carrot beds on the agricultural level. The Terran stares at a gear assembly, trying to remember how he got it out ofthe pump. He keeps trying to tap it into a place that's not quite its size. A pale insect scuttles along a puddle of dirty oil and disappears under a locker. Puzzled, the mind probes deeper into the colony. Where are the ones it seeks? Abruptly, it finds them- in the shuttle bay.

A bug-eyed shuttle had just come in from Borg. Amid guffaws and wisecracks from lounging Oaks, six small golden beings clambered down the ladder. One of them carried a document. A Terran wearing a slouch hat and a gray mask stood with his hands on his hips and regarded the group with amusement.

THE FUGITIVE "I understand you carry some sort of ultimatum, eh? Destruction! Oh, my goodness. And you want to tell the Federation that your people are being abused by this Mulcahy and his Breakers? What-tortured, killed, kidnapped, sold into slavery?" He shook his head. "That's tough. I feel for you'.' Motioning to a pair of smirking Gaks, he said, "Tell you what. Follow these gents topside, and you can pr.esent your grievances to the head megalope, Mr. Nathan Grey'.' The Gaks led the Lau to a wide lift. They rode one level up to a transfer bay, then filed through a hatch into a corridor. The intelligence began to worry. They were headed straight for the Gak station. Without warning the Gaks in the station turned on the Lau, beating them and then tying them up and loading them on the Gakmobile. But one of the six escaped and fled down the corridor. Two steps ahead of the Gaks, the golden being ran into the Breaker bar. A single mutant followed and beat the little creature savagely, then strolled out contentedly, leaving the Lau unconscious on the blood-stained dance floor. All the time, the Breakers looked on respectfully. They knew better than to get in a Oak's way.

Hurt and reeling, the all-seeing mind pulls back. The great eyes blink outside the colony hull as the luminous, bubble­ like cloud begins to dissipate. Nearby, the golden planet, a solar system unto itself, majestically orbits its two suns in seeming tranquility. But the shining eyes, knowing where to look, spot the sinister shadow dogging Borg. The golden planet's curse! It seems closer than before, and has almost totally occluded the benign constellation known as Garbo- the Creator. The malevolent shadow has come on again to engulfand ravage the golden planet. Only a holy Lau, one of the seven Garbo shaman, can perform the ritual ceremony that will save Borg. Within hours, it will be too late!

II BREAKERS: AN ELECTRONIC NOVEL ADVENTURER'S DIARY

The universe in an Electronic Novel is constantly changing. Sometimes things happen too fast for theltuman mind. You may need some time to consider and some space to take notes, make maps, and otherwise plan your strategy. You may use these pages for that purpose.

ADVENTURER ' S DIARY II "Surely you've heard tales ofCasey Jones . . ...

II BREAKERS : A N ELECTRONIC N 0 V E L ADVENTURER ' S D I A R Y • A blinding flash rips through the colony dome ...

111 BREAKERS : A N ELECTRONIC N 0 V E L ADVENTURER ' S D I A R Y m Beady ey es flicker briefly in the shadows ...

II BREAKERS : A N ELECTRONIC N 0 V E L ------~------

ADVENTURER'S D I A R Y You plummet into the blazing vent, flaming like a m eteorite ...

m BREAKERS: A N ELECTRONIC N 0 V E l ADVENTURER ' S D I A R Y II

H 0 W T 0 T A L K T 0

You enter the world of BREAKERS by typing on your computer keyboard . You can type whenever text appears on the screen and you are ready to respond . Your decisions and your dialogue with characters will determine how the novel unfolds.

BREAKERS responds to a wide variety of commands. Some common ones are explained below. but you'll discover others as you begin play. In fact. Electronic Novels™ recognize a vocabulary of over 1200 words . Many synonyms of com­ mands are possible. For example. "get" works as well as "take:· and "rub" is a synonym for "touch'.' For ease of typing, some commands can be abbreviated. You can also type commands in either upper or lower case . When you are finished typing a command. press the RETURN key.

You can also take a greater part in the action by talking to characters and evaluating their responses . Anote on how to use dialogue follows the discussion of commands.

The universe of BREAKERS is constantly transforming itself. Even if you do nothing, characters will patrol Nimbus Colony, monsters will prowl the Borgian seas. the cosmic weather will continue to change.

Occasionally, the text being displayed will be longer than your screen . Instead of "scrolling" information out of sight faster than you can read it. BREAKERS will pause and instruct you to Press any key to continue. When you press a key, the rest of the text will display.on your screen.

HOW TO TALI! TO BREAKERS m COMMANDS

AGAIN Repeats your last command, just as though you had typed it again . After this command, you must still press RETURN .

BOOKMARK Retains your progress in the novel by making a copy of your current position on aformatted diskette. Later you can resume the novel trnm that point with the RESUME NOVEL command . See the Special Features section of the com­ puter reference card packaged with your novel diskette for details.

CLOSE (object) Tries to close the object you specify.

DROP (object) Frees you of an object you're tired of carrying .

EXAMINE or EX (objectl Checks the characteristics of an object-works like LOOK.

FOLLOW or FOL (person) Allows you to follow a character who is going his own way. But be careful; some characters don't like to be followed.

GET (object) Tries to pick up the object you specify. Produces the same effect as TAKE.

GIVE (object) TO (person) Giving objects to characters can be risky, innocuous, or crucial. You can also use this form : GIVE (person) (object).

HEALTH Checks your physical condition. Are you injured? Just stunned?

HIT (object or person) WITH (object) This and commands like it exercise your aggressive tendencies .

INVENTORY or INV Tells you which objects you 've collected and are currently carrying .

LOOK (direction) Describes what lies in a particular direction from your position .

II BREAKERS : AN ELECTRONIC NOVEL LOOK AT (object) Describes the features of an object-works like EXAMINE.

NORTH and others Allows you to move in the direction you specify. You can also abbreviate directions (N, S, E, W, etc.). GO TO (object) and WALK (direction) produce the same result.

OPEN (object) Tries to open the object you specify.

PAUSE NOVEL Halts the changing world of the novel as long as you wish. You can resume the action by pressing any key. To stop the novel in a faster way, see the Using Special Keys section of the computer reference card packaged with your diskette.

PLAY Lets you indulge yourself with songs and musical instruments.

PRINTER ON Creates a printed record of your progress through BREAKERS. See the reference card packaged with your novel diskette for further information.

PRINTER OFF Stops the printing of BREAKERS begun with the PRINTER ON command . See the computer reference card packaged with your diskette for details.

PROGRESS or PR Reports on achievements of importance in your electronic m1ss1on .

PUT (object) IN (object) Tries to merge objects. The results may be important or pointless.

QUIT NOVEL Ends your session of BREAKERS without saving your current position.

READ (object) Obtains.written information, such as priceless clues, from the object you specify.

RESTART NOVEL Begins BREAKERS again from the start.

HOW TO TALI TO IREAIERS II RESUME NOVEL Reopens the novel from the point at which you typed the BOOKMARK command . For specific instructions, see the reference card pack­ aged with your diskette.

SHOW (object) TO (person) Displays an object to a character. You may receive an interesting reaction .

SING Ventilates your vocal chords .

TAKE or T (object) Allows you to collect objects which seem interesting or useful. You can take one thing or several at atime .

THROW (object) (direction) Lets you toss precious things accurately at a crucial moment in BREAKERS .

TIME FASTER Speeds up the changing world of the Electronic Novel.™ This command does not change the speed at which your commands are responded to by the novel. It increases the rate at which characters and elements of the novel's physical world enter the scene , pop up , or fly by. Typing this command repeatedly will speed up the universe a little each time . To slow down the changing world, type TIME SLOWER.

TIME SLOWER The opposite of TIME FASTER. Typing TIME SLOWER repeatedly will slow down the changing universe of the Electronic Novel™ by degrees.

BREAKERS will respond to many other commands; feel free to experiment. Some interesting examples might be : get and examine the red ball get the wire knife and the lava and drink it look at everyone except the cirdonian

m BREAKERS: AN ELECTRONIC NOVEL offer the medallion to nate grey spray the bolt with the spray can look at myself give 15 pieces of gold to casey

When you use numbers in commands or dialogue, use the numeral form; don't spell the numbers out (25 not twenty-five).

DIALOGUE

Electronic Novels TM allow you to talk to characters and creatures, real and imagined. You can ask them questions, order them to do your bidding, or tell them to do things with objects or to other characters . They will respond in their own unique ways . The FORM you use for this kind of dialogue is important. Here are two examples : betty, "who's mulcahy?" druella, "thanks for the information"

Notice that it is not necessary to capitalize or to use periods at the ends of sentences. When you are finished typing a line of dialogue, be sure to press RETURN .

To relieve you of some typing, dialogue also has a shorter form. You may omit the comma following the name of the character you're addressing. The second quota­ tion mark may be omitted also. Example:

HOW TO TALK TO BREAKERS II Instead of

hobo, "give me the vbx"

you may type

hobo "give me the vbx

Some other examples of BREAKERS dialogue might be :

panface "where's delbert riggs?

betty "please give me a drink

beek "what does it all mean?

cirdonian "you're a punk

jones "what is west from here?

corpse "you don't look so hot

TIME ANO SPACE

Many of the characters in BREAKERS move around of their own volition. When you talk to a character in your area. he will answer you in his own special way. If he happens to move to the next room. he won't brush you off; he will still answer. However, if the character moves far away from your position. he'll no longer be able to hear you. Examples:

(betty in your area) betty "who are the gaks?

II BREAKERS: AN ELECTRONIC NOVEL "Not so loud-you're talking about the toughest cops in the galaxy;· Betty cautions.

(betty in the next room) betty "who are you?

"Don't try to get personal with me;· the bartender snaps.

(betty far away) betty "let me take you away from all this

Your words don't reach that far.

Engaging characters in conversation allows you to enter the world of BREAKERS completely. But remember, when you talk to an Electronic Novel.™ anything can happen .

PERIOD

By typing several periods ( ... land pressing RETURN. you can watch the universe unfold over several time intervals. This is an advanced strategic tactic you may find useful.

RETURN KEY

Press RETURN whene~er you are finished typing a command . If you press RtTURN without typing any command. the world of the novel will still continue to change all around you. When you press only RETURN. time will pass and the universe will turn, together with whatever else may be happening at the time: characters entering the vicinity, conversations beginning , etc. As in life. the universe of the Electronic Novel™ is constantly unfolding.

HOW TO TALK TO BREAKERS m

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

ROD SMITH

Rod Smith belongs to a family which is descending into the past rather than " advancing" into the future. His great­ grandfather was a member of the original landing party in the Borgian Gold Rush of 4949. Part Cirdonian, but with the natural intuition of the Lau, Rod spends his spare time medi­ tating on the sayings of the mystic sage Beekanavskemich.

JOE VIERRA

Joe is the Synapse programmer of WARRIORS OF ZVPAR, and is responsible for the Commodore versions of all Electronic Novels. During the publication party for BREAKERS, Joe inad­ vertently digitized and downloaded himself by modem onto a bulletin board in D Module.

WILLIAM MATAOA

Known to Electronic Novel fans as " The Kroz;' William is writing a new BTZ language parser to support character dialogue in Lapp and Urdu.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS II

A NEW LIBRARY E·· ECTRONIC NOVELS

MIND WHEEL

Time-travel into kaleidoscopic minds of four deceased geniuses. Encounter the cave Master, inspired father of the primary visions. Retrieve the Wheel of Wisdom, civilization's one key to salvation.

Excerpt from Mindwheel by Robert Pinsky, author Steve Hales and William Mataga, programmers

You're on an immense stage. In front of you, a crowd roars like thunder. Someone has thrown a rose and a Baby Ruth candy bar on stage. High overhead, a huge video screen displays, over and over, the film of Bobby Clemon's assas­ sination ...While the crowd screams for more, one of the singers beckons for you to come offstage by the door north­ ward behind you ...

ESSEX

Intergalactic search and rescue aboard the colossal Starship Essex. Lead a mission to save Professor Klein, a million­ to-one-shot. Combat insidious Vollchons in deep space. At stake-the survival of the cosmos!

Excerpt from Essex by Bill Darrah, author Bill Darrah and William Mataga, programmers

The man calls to you as best he can and croaks, " Listen, a Vollchon attacked me. These papers must get to Captain Dee before it's too late. The situation is desperate. They'll kill Professor Klein, or anybody who gets in the way ... "

As you take the papers, you notice that they are closed with the seal of.Commodore Norton and addressed to captain Dee of the Essex, for his eyes only ...

BRIMSTONE

Plunge into the underworld of Ulro with Sir Gawain, Knight of the Round Table. Pursue Under-demon Furn through the labyrinth of white apes, the treacherous Slough of Despond, and the Maze of the Furies. Confront The Green Knight awesome figure of Destiny.

Excerpt from Brimstone by James Paul, author David Bunch, William Mataga, and Bill Darrah, programmers

Gawain set his foot on the stair to descend, and felt it dis­ appear beneath him ... A frenzy of black-winged creatures caught the knight as he fell and thrust him through a doorway... Behind the door stood a grotesque creature, part monkey, part bat, part demon ... fire in his eyes like a cat's, his shoulders brawny and gray with soot ...

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Limited Warranty This manual and the software described in this manual are sold "AS IS;' without warranty as to their performance. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of the software is assumed by the user. The user, and not the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer, assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair, or correction, and any incidental or consequential damages.

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Nonetheless, such products (and products that become defective after the ninety­ day replacement period) may be returned to Br\'llderbund along with $5 per disk, plus $2.50 for postage and handling, and Brfl)derbund will provide you with a replacement, as long as the product is still being manufactured by Brfl)derbund.

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